Floods kill 65 people in south India

August 24, 2000
Web posted at: 8:50 PM HKT (1250 GMT)

HYDERABAD, India (Reuters) -- Sixty-five people have died in floods following two days of heavy rain in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, the state's chief minister said on Thursday.

Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu told state legislators the situation was grim in three districts -- Guntur, Prakasam and Kurnool. Five people were still missing.

About 300 are feared to have died in flooding that has hit north and northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh during the current monsoon season leaving millions homeless, hungry and prey to disease.

The chief minister said preliminary reports on Andhra Pradesh showed 500 minor irrigation tanks were breached and 67,351 hectares of paddy and other crops washed away by vast lakes of water.

The flood waters destroyed 1,440 houses and partially damaged a further 1,204 houses.

Naidu said the government had sent 132 relief and rescue teams as well as 571 medical teams to the flooded districts.

He said that 53 people stranded in state-transport buses following the floods had been rescued by helicopters.

About 16,000 people have been evacuated from low-lying areas to safer ground because rivers in many parts of the state were flowing dangerously high.

Under the influence of low pressure weather patterns, heavy rains have been forecast for the next 36 hours. Gales with windspeeds reaching 45 to 50 km (28 to 31 miles) per hour were likely along the south coastal districts.

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